Romania received a “Good” rating, coming in 4th place in the European Union after Denmark, Estonia and Finland in the assessment of the sovereignty of EU member states, conducted by experts of the think tank of the Council of Europe. for external relations (ECFR). Romania received the highest score for the energy efficiency component, but significantly lower for the depth and breadth of reports related to the importance of energy sovereignty.

Romania was qualified as “Good” with a score of 7.7. Among all member countries, Denmark is the only one to score “Very Good” with a score of 8.5. Ireland (5.3), Belgium (5), Slovakia (5), Hungary (4.8), Lithuania (4.6) and Malta (4.1) have the lowest scores.

The best in terms of efficiency is Romania

The ECFR Energy Sovereignty Index is divided into four key components: share of renewable resources, independence from energy imports, efficiency (domestic energy demand compared to actual use) and narrative (depth and breadth of discourse on energy sovereignty in EU member states). .

• Share of clean energy. According to this component, Romania's score is 6.2 out of 10. Denmark and Sweden are in first place, followed by Estonia and Finland. Malta's score is just 2.2, the weakest in the EU.
• Independence from energy imports. According to this component, Romania has a score of 7.7. Many EU countries rely heavily on energy imports, including oil, gas and coal. While many countries have stopped buying fossil fuels from Russia, new suppliers have stepped in.
• Efficiency (internal energy demand compared to actual use). Greece and Romania are in the top ten. At the EU level, energy efficiency is increasing, and most member states have reached the EU's energy efficiency targets. While 16 countries score more than 7, only three exceed 9. Lithuania lags far behind with 4.
• Narrative (depth and breadth of presentations related to the importance of energy sovereignty). In this chapter, Romania has only 5.5 points. Currently, many countries are setting ambitious goals for reducing dependence on Russia and strengthening national energy security. In the midst of the energy crisis, some countries still view energy sovereignty through a narrow lens, focusing mainly on the security of fossil fuel supply. Only policies in countries such as Cyprus, Finland, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Portugal and Slovakia take into account not only security of supply, but also climate goals and energy efficiency, explains expert Shimon Kardas.

"Russia's invasion of Ukraine forced the European Union and its member states to reassess the importance of strengthening energy sovereignty. EU member states have so far considered this challenge through the prism of access to energy resources, mainly to maintain security of supply. But today, geopolitical uncertainty and the threat of climate change show that decision-makers need to better understand energy sovereignty, including the role of green energy and the promotion of efficient energy use," says expert Shimon Kardash.